A Touch From Hell
by Stars Juicebox
Summary: Some people would say that Ciel Phantomhive had a hard life- his parents being killed in a fire a few years ago. Some say that it isn't hard enough. So why not torture the poor transfer student? What's a 13 year old doing in high school anyway? Rated M.
1. Si deus me relinquit

_"Do you remember, Bocchan?"_

_His half gloved hand softly caressed the pale cheek of the adolescent. It seemed like eternity, and yet hardly any time passed as the two stared at each other. Ciel, staring in shock that he was touching him. Sebastian, staring merely to make Ciel uncomfortable. The gloved hand inched towards Ciel's lips, brushing against them upon arrival._

_The adolescent tensed. He was nervous? Afraid? Any emotion that could be labeled pitiful was supposed to be foreign to Ciel Phantomhive. The thought that Sebastian could invoke such emotions in the stoic young man made him smile._

_Sebastian was mocking him now. Ciel made the mistake of letting this stupid man see his fear, but no more! Pinning the older male with his coldest glare, he calmed his nerves. "Remember what?" He asked indignantly._

_"That you would let me eat until I get full."_

_Leaning closer, Sebastian closed the distance between Ciel's mouth and his own. This kiss was nothing like the others. It was hot; burning a path to the pit of Ciel's stomach. Coaxing the other's lips with his tongue, Sebastian willed him to allow him passage into his mouth._

_Ciel gasped at the pleasure that coursed through him, causing goose bumps to appear on his delicate complexion. Sebastian took his chance and entered his mouth. His tongue was granted the honor of tormenting Ciel with these sensations._

_No! This wasn't right! They shouldn't be doing such things. Pushing at Sebastian's shoulders, Ciel broke the kiss. Turning his head quickly to the side, he hoped that he could put out this fire- the one that burned too brightly in Sebastian and scorned him. "Stop fooling around!"_

_"No, Bocchan. A man has nothing but his word..." Reaching forward, he caught Ciel's chin between his forefinger and thumb before turning the adolescent to face him. As Ciel's eyes grew with fear, his expression darkened with satisfaction. A victorious smirk threatened to curve his masculine lips as he continued. "Now there is no escaping me, My Lord..."_

**A Touch from Hell**

_Chapter 1_

"Auntie Angelina!" Elizabeth Middleford called out as she entered into the Durless home. At thirteen, Elizabeth Middleford was a very pretty girl with promise of growing into a fine beauty. Her naturally blonde hair had been pulled into twin pigtails—the mass of curls falling evenly on either side of her head. Beneath childish bangs, two green orbs shined with anticipation as she waited for Ciel's Aunt to answer her. Her skin was fair, and without a single flaw. As if her beauty was too great, she was granted with a babyish smile that kept her appearance fresh and innocent. "Aunt Angelina!"

"Good morning, Lizzie." A graceful female voice echoed from the kitchen.

Following the path that she had memorized just a few years ago, Lizzie wandered from the foyer to the kitchen that was located at the rear of the house. It wasn't a long journey. Instead, it was rather complicated for Aunt Angelina's house was one floor, but very vast. Some hallways seemed to go on forever, while others seemed to end just after they began. A newcomer to the Durless home would be rather confused and could possibly get lost. Luckily, Lizzie didn't have to worry about such problems. Normally, Ciel would escort her from room to room, but she had grown tired of waiting on him and learned the house inside and out. She was even sure that she knew the house better than Ciel himself.

Peeking in the kitchen door, the young lady scanned the kitchen for Ciel's Aunt. The kitchen had been a common place for Angelina Durless. She would often sit beside the window and watch the rain fall or she'd sit in the sunroom, just beyond the kitchen, and look out at the garden. Aunt Angelina occasionally took a nap in a comfortable chair in the midst of her tea time. So it wasn't uncommon to find the older woman staring out the window, sipping on her morning cup of tea.

"Aunt Angelina, good morning." Lizzie greeted, as she walked into the room.

Ciel's Aunt smiled in return before answering the question that she knew was sure to come. "Ciel isn't home. You just missed him."

Pouting prettily, Lizzie sat down in the available chair across from the other female. "Aw. And I wanted to wish him a good day at school."

"I know. I tried to get him to wait, but he said something about wanting to avoid a meeting with the principal."

Lizzie wrinkled her nose. Why would Ciel want to do a thing like that? He was always sprouting nonsense about connections and knowing people. Why would he want to avoid the principal of a prestigious School such as Queen Victoria's Academy? It was rare for a special scholarship student to be accepted to that high school. And it was even rarer for a thirteen year old to attend there. He should have taken the opportunity to milk this situation and make nice with the principal. But then again, she wasn't attending that school yet, so she had no idea exactly what transpires there.

She shook her head, as if to shake off her unease about the way he left that morning and thought on the positive side. "Well, at least he won't be late today. I'll make sure to send him off tomorrow, Auntie. And I'll pack him a super cute lunch! Make sure he takes it, okay?"

"Alright." Aunt Angelina replied. Finishing off her morning tea, she placed her cup on the matching plate. Had Ciel taken a lunch with him today? She didn't remember him making one—not that her nephew could cook. And she doubted that he would remember to take a few dollars with him so that he could buy something. No. Ciel was responsible. He would have at least ten dollars on him at all times, wouldn't he? Never mind that. Smiling at the little blond across from her, Aunt Angelina made a suggestion. "Why don't I drive you to school on my way to work this morning?"

"Really? That would fantastic! Thank you, Auntie!" Lizzie sprung out of the chair. She clapped excitedly before taking off out of the room. "I'll wait for you at the car!" How lucky? Instead of having to walk the long way to school, she could catch a ride.

"I should have asked Aunt Angelina to drive me to school." Ciel Phantomhive sighed as he walked into the front door of Queen Victoria Academy for Secondary Education.

He had thought that he would have been safe from the principal if he arrive early. No dice. That molester caught on the street and offered him a ride. When Ciel refused, Principal Druitt began an overdramatic monologue. It started off about how cruel the world was, trapping such beauty and courage inside a young male. Then he began to advise him on the dangers of a child walking to school alone. Ciel wasn't exactly sure about half the things that the man was saying, but he knew that he was growing tired of his voice. So he gave in. He let the well known pervert drive him to school. The car ride consisted of nonstop praise towards his beauty and how it was unjust for it to be in a young boy. They arrived on campus just after Druitt finished his tirade about how someone should be punished for such crimes as boys who were prettier than girls.

Ciel managed to get out of the car before the rake asked him if he'd like to dress like a girl, or worse. Although it was a pretty obvious place to escape to, Ciel managed to get into the school and find his way to the freshmen hall way before Druitt could find him. He was getting tired just thinking about his morning so far.

Pushing his dark colored hair out of his face, he readjusted his eye patch before quickly covering it with his hair once again. He needed to find his class. According to the letter he received, he was in class 1-A. His homeroom teacher's name was Mr. Tanaka. A foreigner? Perhaps they were putting him into a foreign language based group. That wouldn't be a problem. He could handle whatever this school threw his way. But for right now, he needed to find his classroom.

"Class 1-A…"

"Hey Maylene, that's the guy that was in the text right?" a blonde older teen asked.

Removing her thick lenses, the red headed girl looked down the hallway at the short statured boy. He was young- around twelve or thirteen. His hair was a dull black, but it had certain elegance to it. His posture was impeccable. His uniform didn't have a single wrinkle. He did fit the personality of the young man in the text that they received. "Ciel Phantomhive. The new student. Yeah. I think that's him."

Bard removed his goggles from his eyes and lowered them until they hung around his neck. He watched silently as the freshmen wandered down the hall towards his classroom. So he was Ciel Phantomhive. The lucky scholarship student. There had been gossip circulating about him for the past week or so. Some said that he was a genius- a child who skipped right over junior high and came straight here. Others believed it was because he slept around with that faggoty principal. Perhaps his parents had endowed the school with a vast amount of money. In return, the school allowed their son to walk their halls. To tell the truth, none of those mattered. All Bard wanted was a new kid to push around and he had gotten some information on this one. So why not torment this kid for a while? He was the perfect candidate—small, but held power in the school because of his intelligence. If he could make that kid bow to him, all the other nerds in the school would. Then they'd end their chatter about him being an idiot.

"This is our chance!" He was confident now. Crossing his arms over his chest, he smiled at the attractive red haired woman beside him.

Maylene glanced at her friend curiously. It wasn't uncommon for Bard to have a random outburst, but he wasn't normally so confident in something. "What are you talking about?" She asked, tipping her head to the side.

"We're normally treated like idiots around here. Of course they fear us, but they don't respect us. But if we can manage to break that new scholarship student, then we can scare them into respecting us! I can just see it now, Maylene! We'll torment that brat and when he bows to us, everyone will go 'Ah!' in surprise!" To emphasize his words, Bard made the dumbfounded face that he expected everyone to make after his triumph. "And we will move up in social status in this school."

Maylene nodded. Bard had a point. Not to mention, that new kid was cute. If other girls found him to be like a doll, his popularity would grow. Girls would make a fan club and try to make him the king of the school. There was already a king of this school. They didn't need another one, or any competition. Any dedicated fan would take measures to make sure that Ciel would not destroy the King's popularity.

"Finny won't want to mess with him because he hasn't done anything. I don't care either way. I'm just along for the ride." Maylene replied, replacing her thick glasses upon the bridge of her nose. Turning on her heel, she walked down the hall towards the stair well, but half way to her destination she stopped. "By the way, Bard, don't overdo it. We don't need a big problem on our hands."

"Sure." Bard replied, giving her a thumb up with his signature grin.

Maylene did not turn around to receive the grin or thumbs up. Instead, she continued down the hall to the stair well. Bard shrugged and decided to head to class himself. He had to start plotting against the kid now. And he wanted to make sure that it was fun.

Ciel adjusted his backpack as he looked over the door to his classroom. Swallowing his nervousness, along with his other emotions, he opened the door to his classroom. Walking into the classroom, he made his way to the front of the class. As he suspected, all eyes were on him. Not allowing the sixteen pairs of eyes to unnerve him, he stopped and looked around the room. Surely the professor should have heard about him. And would tell him where to sit and begin class as if his presence was no big deal. Sadly, the teacher was nowhere to be found. Instead, all sixteen students were reading quietly to themselves. It was odd.

Turning to a random student, Ciel demanded to know where the professor was. "Where is Professor Tanaka?"

The meek student pointed to the front of the room. "He's the one on the desk."

Ciel's eyes followed the direction that the student had pointed in. Sitting on a desk at the front of the class room was a small old man. He sat on his knees, with his dark gray trousers tucked neatly beneath him. His gray hair had been slicked back from his wrinkled forehead. His eyes were closed happily, as he drank oolong tea from a little green cup.

"That's Professor Tanaka?" Ciel questioned, outraged. When his fellow classmates nodded, Ciel sighed. They must have had budget cuts. Or perhaps homeroom wasn't important. Taking an empty seat at the far end of the classroom, Ciel looked out the window. "Some school this is turning out to be."

The man who had been identified as Professor Tanaka took a sip of tea. "Ho ho ho."

So this was high school. It was nothing like what Ciel imagined it to be. But then again, he never imagined high school to be of any importance. It was just a stepping stone on the way to become a great man like his father. … Father. He hadn't thought of him a while. Perhaps he had been so busy that he couldn't even spare a moment for his deceased parents. What sort of child was he becoming? Someone who was simply ok with his parents dying? No! He wasn't. He was the type of person who held onto their hatred in order to move forward in the world. He was the sort of person who refused to live on without revenge. And that was what he wanted—revenge sweeter than any nectar. He would find the person who killed off his parents and give them twice the torture and pain that he was sure that they went through. But he couldn't do that as he was now. No. Now he was too weak; nothing more than a child playing 'adult'. But not for long. Soon, he would be one of the single strongest and most influential men in London. And then he would find that person. He would capture and torture that person without a single word. And then, whilst that person was grasping onto the thread of their life, Ciel would tell them why they had to go through such agony. Then he would kill that person in the same manner that person murdered his parents. Yes, that would be revenge sweeter than any nectar and much more satisfying than living a normal life. He would not dare to believe that he could live normally after such a thing. No, he would turn himself into the police and allow them to punish him however they saw fit. He wouldn't care. He had already served his purpose in life.

_Ring_

Class was over already? It seemed like it just began. But then again, it wasn't as if he was going to learn anything. The old man, that was supposedly Mr. Tanaka, had only sat on his desk and drank his tea as if he had not a care in the world—or a class that needed to be taught!

Oh well. It wasn't as if Ciel could complain. He wasn't paying any attention anyway. Which class was next? British Literature? It was taught by a Mr. Sutcliffe? Perhaps he would receive a competent advisor this time. Anyone had to be better than Mr. Tanaka.

Maylene adjusted the heavy books in her arm as she headed down the hallway. Why did this always happen to her? A teacher would find her in the hallway, and ask her to do some sort of chore. It wasn't as if she had anything else to do, but who liked doing chores? And would the teachers ask her to do them when they knew she wasn't hand-eye coordinated. Everything ended up a mess. She was actually surprised that she had yet to drop the books yet.

Turning to go down the stairwell, Maylene sighed. Once she dropped off the books in the library, she would be all set. Her foot missed a step. Unbalanced, Maylene was sent flying forward, the books and papers flying through the air – soon to become a mess. Or was it? Capturing the books and loose paper in one hand, a dark young man caught the falling Maylene in the other.

Stunned, Maylene looked up at her savior. Ah! It was him. He was always around when she needed saving. Such a dashing gentleman—something so rare now a days. He was more than a rare gentleman. He was a rare gem—something that was priceless a pleasure for the eyes to see. One that could ignite sexual desires in any person and yet ever attempted to seduce a soul. When they made the phrase—tall, dark and handsome—they were referring to him. And those eyes! His eyes were the oddest color—a deep red. Weren't red eyes paired with Albinos? Then why did this fair skinned male with styled dark hair have them? He was quite rare, indeed. And she loved him. She had loved him since the day they met, but she had always adored him from afar. And now! Now, he was so close to her—touching the small of her back to keep her from falling. Her cheek , pressed softly against the front of his jacket, grew hot. It was too much! He was too close! It was too sudden, but she dared not ruin this moment. Gazing up, she stared at her darling nervously."S-s-s-s-"

Moving his arm-warmer clad hand to his lips, he ordered Maylene to be quiet. "Shhh."

Placing her in an upright position at the bottom of the stairs, he handed her the books and paperwork in a neat order. Once Maylene had a firm grasp on everything, the dark young man smiled and leaned in closer to her. Cupping his hand around his mouth, he whispered to her. "Make sure that he comes to me. Make his life hell for me, Maylene." And with that, the dark young man ascended the stairs to the upper classmen hallway.

He said her name! He remembered her name! And he said her name. She was so lucky; so luck that she could just faint. So she did. Dropping the paperwork and books, she fell on the floor and fainted—a happy smile complimenting the blush on her face.

So her darling wanted her to make Ciel's life hell. That wouldn't be a problem at all. In fact, she would start that very moment. Bard wanted someone to pick on, didn't he? Knowing him, he would contemplate how to approach Ciel. If she didn't help, Bard would graduate before harassing the boy. Sometimes he was so useless. But at a time like this, she couldn't allow him to go unused. So as she stood up, Maylene allowed her thoughts to race in her head until a plan was formulated. Simple enough for Bardroy and yet twisted enough to conceal her darling's identity. Perfect.

Her smile deepened as she gathered up the pieces of fallen paper and the books. She would be praised greatly if this worked out. It would be nice if Ciel enjoyed his first day at this school because as of tomorrow, school would be a place worse than hell.

"The story of Hamlet is not one to be tarnished by poor acting or lazy movements! No! It is a story of vengeance; a story of sorrow; a story of betrayal. Not-to-become-rubbish-because-of… BAD ACTING~!" Mr. Sutcliffe sang to the class as he pranced around the room. Ciel had come to the conclusion that Mr. Grell Sutcliffe was a flamboyant actor who wanted nothing more than to be an _actress. _Proof was in the way that the man dress. If his favorite color wasn't red, he couldn't tell. A red jacket, red glasses, red hair, red shoes, and a red tie—each separated with spices of black here and there. His lengthy red hair had been brushed until it shined and was styled in a feminine hair do. But it was not just his hair that was feminine. Mr. Sutcliffe walked, talked, smiled and laughed like a woman—something that he had presented to the class within moments of starting their lecture.

This was supposed to be British Literature. Although the topic did fit the nature of the class, it just didn't work for Ciel. If the story of Hamlet was supposed to be one of Shakespeare's tragedies, then why was Mr. Sutcliffe so happy to talk about it? That last observation was compromised by Ciel's dislike of the story. He had always hated the moral of Hamlet. Hamlet sought revenge for the death of his father. And in the end, it was for nothing. Yes, his father was avenged, but at the cost of his mother and the woman that he loved. So the moral was that revenge only begot revenge and innocent people are hurt. That was untrue. Revenge was a being of its own—over taking certain attributes of people when one would let it. It was a parasite—feeding off of its owner until it took over completely—only leaving when it feel as if it should.

"Are you with us, Mr. Phantomhive?"

Ciel glanced from the window to the red haired man at the front of the classroom. What should he answer? He had always been one for the truth, but he could never tell what sort of creature this flamboyant teacher was. If he said no, then he was sure that the teacher would make an over dramatized scene about it and Ciel would be thoroughly embarrassed. If he said yes, there was always the chance that Mr. Sutcliff would ask Ciel to repeat what he previously said. Then Ciel would end up with the over dramatized scene anyway. Either way, he was screwed. So why not test his luck? "Yes, I'm all ears."

"AH! Marvelous! So as I was saying-"

That was it? He was off the hook? He smiled softly to himself and continued to look out of the window. It seemed that he was just going to this school to waste time. If that was the case, he would just taking after school lessons or get a tutor in order to actually learn. Graduating from a prestigious school was enough to get him into a great college and then he could work hard from there. Perhaps history with Mr. Spears would actually benefit him. Or maybe the teacher would be another random professor. Either way, he didn't care.

He'd just prefer if the day came to an end. He wasn't learning anything here and he was sure that he could get more done if he was studying in his room at home. Aunt Angelina would probably have tea ready. Ah. A good tea would hit the spot right about now. He was hungry and he had forgotten his lunch at home. Did he have enough for lunch?

Checking his pockets, he realized that he didn't even have his wallet. He'd never put such an important item in his book bag. Which mean that he had no money for lunch either. Ah. This day needed to come to an end and quickly.

* * *

_**Star Juicebox: **_**Hello everyone!**

_**Hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of "A Touch from Hell." Remember to Read and Review. We like ideas for pairings and what not. Anything you have in mind, don't be afraid to tell us about them.**_

_**Btw, Stars is all for the Sebby X Ciel…**_

_**Apple is more of a Grell X Sebby… Claude X Sebby… so that might be thrown in there if we get enough reviews for it.**_

_**Later!**_


	2. Ego deum relinquo

_This had to be a dream, Ciel thought at he wondered back and forward in front of his old home. The gray stones were no longer scattered amongst the perimeter of his house. Instead, they were piled one by one into a grand scale model of what he remembered to be home. The eerie feeling that had once haunted his home was gone. Did that mean that there was actually a chance that everything had gone back to normal? He didn't want to believe such a thing… But there it was. Right in front of him. His home. It sat in beautiful scenery of a blue sky with stray stratus clouds moving towards the west. The sun seemed to shine on his home as if it was telling him that it was a sanctuary for him once more. The nightmares that pulled at his heels would dissipate if only he could make his way inside his home. If he could touch the walls, he would spiral back into the past and his reality would be nothing more than a bad dream that lasted a bit too long. _

_As he reached out towards his home, it withdrew from him; fleeting from his touch. Should he chase it? The one chance that he had to return to his old life? Any normal person would. But he knew better. There was no turning back. Instead, there was only moving forward. He could no longer chase his past. Instead, he would chase his death. Wasn't that the path that he had chosen when he decided upon his revenge? _

_Ciel stood quietly as his slumber lifted and the pain of reality crushed him. Crying was for the weak. Regret was for the weak. And He was not weak. He was Ciel Phantomhive. So why were these tears slipping from his eyes as he opened his eyes to face another day._

**___A Touch from Hell_**

_Chapter 2_

Ciel sat up in a cold sweat in his bed. Breathing deeply, the teen grabbed at his heart only to feel the cloth of his shirt. Holding it tightly in his hand, he scanned around him. Where was he? His bed-room? When did he get home? He didn't remember making the trip home.

"Are you awake, Ciel?" Lizzie asked. Her blond curls fell to the right as she peeked into Ciel's room. Smiling brightly, she threw his door open and rushed into his room. Before Ciel compose himself, Lizzie had her arms about him in a fierce hug. Her normally bright complexion seemed to dim as her tears streaked down her face. At first, the tears were graceful—mostly silent, with only her quieted sobs as an accompaniment. Ciel, still very discombobulated from his dream as well as his foggy memory of the last few hours, grew even more confused by her tears. Placing his hand on her back in an attempt to soothe her back fired. The tears became harsh as she cried loudly, almost crushing him with her embrace. "CIEL!"

What was she crying about? Had something happened? How had he gotten home? Prying himself from Lizzie's embrace, he took a moment to compose himself. Combing his fingers through his hair, he tossed his legs over the side of the bed. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Lizzie asked. Her brows furrowed as she looked over Ciel. Ciel glanced back at her. Why didn't he remember what happened? It wasn't like Ciel to forget anything, especially when he was near danger. She wasn't exactly sure what happened herself. All she knew is that when she came to visit last night, Aunt Angelina was sitting in the room with a man. Although this shouldn't have been an unusual site, she wasn't familiar with the man that was with her. He looked as if he was afraid of everything in the world. He was a tall man with shoulder length brown hair was that swept into a ponytail. He wore thin black framed glasses and a brown and white suit. He had introduced himself as Mr. Sutcliff. He was a very peculiar man. Although he seemed as though he should be normal, he was very clumsy. It wasn't that quirk that caught Lizzie off-guard, but rather the fact that after every mistake he made—no matter how numerous they were—he would attempt to atone for it by trying to end his life. Most of the evening was spent trying to assure Mr. Sutcliff that he had done nothing wrong and that he didn't need to end his life. After the man had left, Aunt Angelina had told her that Ciel was the root of some sort of bullying at school and that man was the teacher who saved him. Lizzie was told that Ciel needed rest and thus was sent home.

As soon as the sun rose this morning, Lizzie made sure to come over to the Durless home. She wanted to find out what happened and if her precious Ciel was alright, but there was no way of learning anything if Ciel didn't remember. "Some man brought you-"

"CIEL!"

Angelia rushed into Ciel's bedroom, recreating the scene that Lizzie presented earlier. Throwing her arms about her nephew, she cried openly. Her abundance of tears stained the front of Ciel's shirt. "Oh! You slept so long! I was so scared! You should never scare your aunt like this!"

Sighing, Ciel pushed his aunt off of him before resting his head in the palm of his hand. This was becoming tiring. He rather prepare for school and put up with the bull- wait! He remembered. During lunch he had tried to find something to do to distract him until it was time to go home. He had thought that none of his classes would be promising. So he attempted to gain some sort of knowledge that this school had to offer. Going to library, he noticed that there were a few girls that looked at him in an odd way. Some looked at him with utter disappointment as others whispered to each other while looking at him. He had never really had an even like that happen to him before, but he chose to ignore it. Their whispers and dirty looks didn't matter because none of those women were of importance. Rounding the corner, he was just a few meters away from the library. Sadly, he never met his destination. A group of young men, 6 or 7, blocked the entrance. When he attempted to go around him, he was greeted by a punch in the face.

Landing on his bottom, Ciel covered his cheek with his hand. What the hell was that for? Glaring up at his attacker, he noticed the smug grin on his face. "Seems like you don't know the pecking order around here." The young man said. With his friends laughing behind him, the young man grabbed Ciel by the collar. "Its my job to make sure that you don't get above yourself."

Ciel had tried to fight back, but it was no use, the young men were beating him up and there was no chance of him defending himself. He ended up blacking out from the abuse.

"I want you to transfer from that school immediately!" Angelina ordered, crossing her arms and tucking them under her large breast.

Ciel glanced at his aunt for a moment. She was worried about him. That was expected from his guardian. He was the only tie that was left to her late sister. Of course she would make sure that he was safe. But Ciel was much too old to have her dotting on him and barring him from what he had planned. He needed that school in order to accomplish his plans. If he transferred now, not only would those bullies have won, but it would take him longer to become successful.

Pushing himself off the bed, Ciel started out of the room. "I'm going to be late if I don't leave now. We'll discuss this when I return from school."

"But Ciel-" Angelina's protest were cut off when her nephew closed the door behind him.

Bard sat quietly in the upper stairwell near the roof of the school. Biting on the end of his unlit cigarette, he pondered how he could torture the brat. He could put trash on his desk. Ah! That would be great. He could imagine it now. Ciel would walk into the class room and find his desk covered in trash. He would be so devastated that he would fall to his knees in tears. And Bard would be right there to say something insulting like "Why not sit at your desk and join the rest of the trash?"

Laughing aloud, he was rather proud of himself. It was a perfect plan. He would tell Maylene all about it. Even she would be in awe of his brilliance. As if summoned by his thoughts of her, Maylene stumbled up the steps, cracking her over-sized glasses as she fell forward on a step. "Hey, Maylene, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She turned and sat on the step that she fell on. Taking off her glasses, she looked over at Bard. "Have you thought of how to torment that Phantomhive kid?"

Bard nodded and told her of his brilliant idea. Smirking, he awaited her praise. It never came. With her attention on her cracked glasses, Maylene told him the flaw in his plan. "How do you know which desk is his? And what about his schedule? Also, if you own up to the fact that you put trash in a classroom, you'd have to deal with Mr. Spears."

He hadn't thought of that. Mr. Spears was a very strict man. Besides the fact that he was the advisor of the student morality club, he was also a disciplinarian as well as an abusive teacher. Truth be told, he was rather intimidated by the man. He wanted to avoid a meeting with that man at any cost. Sighing, he moved down a few steps in order to sit next to his friend. "Well… if you put it that way, I guess it is a little too flamboyant. But we've got to figure out something soon."

"It's been handled."

Handled? How? Raising a brow at the red haired woman, he looked at her curiously. Maylene glanced at Bard before explaining further. "I talked with a friend and they recommended that we spread a few rumors about the kid. You know the rumor about how he slept with Druitt in order to get into the school? Well, we added in a few things about how he wanted to rule the school and him saying something about us 'useless' students not amounting to anything. As if that didn't offend enough people, I added in a tale of how he destroyed the garden that Finny worked so hard to make."

"But the garden was like that when the school year started. Don't you remember? Because Finny was gone all summer and forgot to water the plants, they died out."

"But they don't know that. Finny is a nice guy. No one would like it if he was the object of someone else's bullying and ridicule. " Placing her glasses on her face, she gave Bard a clumsy smile. "My friend told me that it was smarter to get others to do the dirty work." She stood up and dusted herself off. Walking around her friend, she walked to the roof.

"You don't have to walk with me, Lizzie."

Lizzie shook her head. Latching onto Ciel's arm, she matched his pace, step for step. "If this is all I can do to make sure that you're safe, then I'll do it."

Because Aunt Angelina was late for work, she couldn't drive Ciel to school. It was needless to say that there was a grand performance of heart-wrenching tears from both his Aunt and Lizzie. Neither of them wanted to him to attend school today. Aunt Angelina wanted him to stay home today and at least let her schedule a meeting with the principal, but Ciel would hear nothing of it. He was going to school and face those idiots and he would win.

When the two of them realized that he was going to school whether they liked it or not, Lizzie volunteered to walk with Ciel to school so that Aunt Angelina could get to work on time. They both seemed satisfied with that idea. And thus, here he was, late for school with his childhood friend refusing to release him until he was safely on school grounds.

"Aw, isn't this charming?"

Ciel turned to find his assailant from yesterday was steadily approaching him and Lizzie. What did they want? He didn't have time to dwell on that thought. Lizzie was with him, meaning that he had to think of her safety first. Grabbing her hand, he began to run from his fellow classmates. Where could go? Heading towards school was like running into a mouse trap. There was the chance that there were more of these thugs waiting for him at the school gates. But then again, there were adults—teachers and staff that could help and intervene—and he could possibly ensure Lizzie's safety as well as end any future encounters with this group. If he were to run into town, there was no guarantee that anyone would bother to help him. Normally, he wouldn't have cared about them catching him. He would have reminded them that they were below him, but this case was different.

Glancing at the blonde behind him, he realized that she was struggling to keep up. She probably couldn't last much longer. Luckily, they were relatively close to the school. Once in the gate, he would push her towards the main office and run in another direction from her. Thankfully, these thugs were not as smart as they believed. If he opened a classroom door, he could pretend that he pushed Lizzie in there and buy her a bit of time. But where would he go after that? He would wing it. So long as Lizzie wasn't harm, it wasn't important.

Pulling Lizzie closer to him, he told her his plan. When she went to protest, he shot her an exasperated look. "If you don't do this, then we both will get caught. Just do as I told you." Holding her hand a bit tighter Ciel gave her the warmth that she expected from him. Hopefully that would be enough to encourage her to do as he said. As they ran through the gates of the school, he instructed Lizzie where he would go. His plan was go to the place populated with the most adults. Perhaps then the delinquents would give up once presented with the threat of authority. Pushing through the entry way of the school and pushed Lizzie in the direction of the principal's office. Turning quickly in the opposite direction, he bounded down the hall.

Glancing behind him, he noticed that there were only two main thugs chasing him. Dammit! They must have figured out his plan. Perhaps they were smarter than what he gave them credit for. "Hey, Brat! Just give up now!" One thug shouted.

Ignoring them, Ciel ran a bit faster, but why? He was going to run out of energy soon. And then they would have caught both him and Elizabeth. What did they want? To torture them some more? Or perhaps they had something worse in mind. They had sent the greater amount of their members after Lizzie, meaning that Ciel wasn't their main target. What did they want?

As Ciel ran passed the stair well, he felt someone reach out and grab his arm. Forcibly pulling Ciel into the darkness of the stairwell, the figure covered Ciel's mouth with a half gloved hand. Ciel tried to pull the man's hand off of his mouth. Squirming and fussing, Ciel tried to escape the man. Taking Ciel's chin and tipping the young man's face upward, a dark haired man stared back at him. His red colored eyes held a twinkle of amusement as he placed his finger against his curved lips, signaling for Ciel to be quiet.

Ciel understood. Remaining completely silent, they hid. The two thugs stopped at the stairwell and peeked in. Seeing nothing but darkness, they decided that he hadn't gone up the stairs. "Dammit. We lost 'em."

"No worries. They caught the girl. He'll come back for her. If not, she's a cutie, so well be able to have some fun with her."

"Really? I thought we were just going to rough her up a bit and send her back to him?"

"Either or. Right now, let's head back."

It was a moment or two before the left, the stairwell still dark and silent. Once Ciel was sure that they were gone, he sighed. So they had caught Lizzie. He silently balled his hands into fist, which grew tighter the more he thought about Lizzie's situation. He should go back for her. If he didn't, there was no telling what they were going to do to her. They wouldn't dare rape her, would they? He wouldn't put it pass them. In fact, he was sure that if Druitt ever met her, he would probably praise her beauty, the same way he had praised Ciel's, before making a move on her. They had even mentioned that she was cute. Now her chastity was at stake, all because she was protecting him. But what could he do by himself? Nothing really. He had been shown that earlier. He could do nothing but run, and it disgusted him to his very core.

How could he be so helpless? He was supposed to enact revenge upon the man who murdered his parents. He was supposed to be revered and feared, and yet he couldn't escape a couple of thugs without someone's help.

Suddenly reminded of the other man's presence, he decided that he should thank him before figuring out how to save Lizzie. Turning to face him, Ciel glanced up at the male. The first thing that captured his attention was the young man's eyes. They were a deep red—a blood color red. It was something so unique yet brought praise to his deathly pale skin and raven black hair. His hair was styled in a very becoming hair cut. A single strain of black hair dangled in his face, the strain the same color of the finger-less half gloves that adorn his hands. Under his black and white moto-style hoodie, he wore a tight fitting black tee. His pants were black skinny jeans with double zippers on the left leg. All in all, he was wearing very stylish and expensive clothes that only added to his ghostly complexion.

"Like what you see?"

Ciel's eyes darted back towards those uniquely colored eyes. Noticing that the man was amused at Ciel's actions, he looked away. Turning on his heel, he started away from the young man. "What I see seems worthless."

"My action a moment ago was worthless?"

So he was bringing up the fact that he saved Ciel from the thugs. Although he was going to thank him, he refused to do so now. "Do you have a habit of reaching from the shadows and grabbing people? I believe that is illegal."

"Perhaps. But they seem to enjoy it until the very end." The young man returned Ciel's quip without hesitation. Following Ciel, step by step, he returned to the original topic. "So it was worthless?"

"I don't remember asking you to do it." Ciel countered lamely. Wrinkling his nose, he realized how childish he sounded. He didn't like it. "Don't feel ashamed. Most people are worthless."

"Ah. Then perhaps I should show you my worth."

Ciel glanced at the ghostly male from the corner of his eye. There was amusement in his voice. What was this? A game? He was being chased down by thugs and his childhood friend could be in horrible danger at this exact moment, and yet this guy could find a way to smile and joke with him. He hadn't been around the ghostly teen for more than ten minutes and yet he could tell that he already didn't like him. It wasn't the fact that he was smile during a time of such turmoil, but just his smile. Perhaps it was how his eyes closed and his perfect white teeth graced his face and made him look less pale and more on the dashing side—WAIT! What was he thinking at a time like this?

Turning his eyes away from the guy, he continued forward. "How could you possibly do that?"

"Hm?" Tapping his finger against his chin, the young man smiled down at Ciel. "I can do anything, even fine this girl that means so much to you…"

Ciel stopped in his tracks. It was obvious that he was not telling the truth. How would he know where Lizzie was? She was captured when he was saving him. It was obvious that it was a lie. Yet, as he listened to the ghostly gentleman's words, he felt as if there was a way that this man would know. "Show me."

"But nothing in this world is free."

Ah. There was a catch. There was always a catch. Perhaps he wanted money? Or he would want Ciel to serve him. Either of the two were impossible for Ciel. Although his family left him with enough money to live wealthy for the rest of his life, it was in a trust fund. Until Ciel was old enough, he couldn't lay a finger on a single dime of the money. The mere thought of Ciel having to serve another human being, much less this particular one made him uncomfortable. Yet, he had the responsibility of protecting Lizzie. Sighing inwardly, he glanced at the man once more. "What will it cost me?"

"I'll serve you. Do your bidding until the thing you want most is completed. In return, you'll have to let me eat until I'm full."

Is that all he wanted? Food? He didn't look as if he was starving, but then again, he couldn't weigh much. In all, it was a pretty good deal. And with the wording, he could use the man more than just once. Smirking, the thirteen year old boy turned to fully face the other. "I suppose that will do." Holding out his hand, he meant to make the verbal contract binding. "I'm Ciel Phantomhive."

The pale young man looked at Ciel's hand before shaking his head. "We make our contracts binding differently, where I'm from."

"How?" Ciel asked, dropping his hand to the side.

"A kiss."

A Kiss! Had he lost his mind? He would never willing kiss another man. Turning on his heel, he walked away from the young man. He would find Lizzie on his own.

"I'm Sebastian Michaelis, by the way." The pale young man called out, as Ciel put a greater distance between the two.

HA! As if he would need to know something like that. He would never need to know that man's name. It wasn't as if he planned on getting close to the man. He didn't need his help; the help of that pervert. He could save Lizzie on his own. He'd even make these thugs bow to him. They'd rue the day that the met Ciel Phantomhive. But the first thing Ciel needed to do was find these young men and their hide out.

* * *

**Star: Dammit, Apple. I told you to finish this chapter months ago! What the hell took you so long?**

**Apple: I … ugh… I got distracted by the second season… and then I had to work and pull up my grades and uh—**

**Star: I guess I'll allow that. But you better update regulary from now on. Geez, taking you four months to update.**

**Apple: you know you could do something too—**

**Star: WHAT WAS THAT? –wacks Apple—Apologize to your readers.**

**Apple: Ah! … I guess I should. ~ Sorry everyone for taking so long with this chapter. But I promise there will be an update at least once a month. And as a special apology, I'll add a really nice Seb/Ciel scene in the next chapter.**

**Merry Christmas from Stars Juicebox.**


	3. Solus oppressus nigram

_"I'll serve you. Do your bidding until the thing you want most is completed. In return, you'll have to let me eat until I'm full."_

"_I suppose that will do." Holding out his hand, he meant to make the verbal contract binding. "I'm Ciel Phantomhive."_

_The pale young man looked at Ciel's hand before shaking his head. "We make our contracts binding differently, where I'm from."_

"_How?" Ciel asked, dropping his hand to the side. _

_"A kiss."_

_**A Touch from Hell**_

_Chapter 3 _

As the now thoroughly irritated pre-teen exited the main building, he cursed to himself under his breath. The nerve of that guy. He slammed the glass door of the school closed, the glass threatening to break from the impact. Storming down the front steps of the school, Ciel fumed over the incident that just occurred. How could that homo, ghostly pale, male give such a blatant lie? A kiss? In which country did one receive a kiss in order to seal a deal? The answer was simple. None. It was unheard of.

Hn. It was obvious that guy was only trying to tease him. But even then, that type of joke wasn't funny. If Ciel had taken him seriously, then it would have been a messy affair. Just because he was young, didn't mean that such a prank should be pulled on him. It seemed like everyone found a way to pick on him. One moment he was being chased down by a band of thugs and the next moment, he was almost tricked by some random guy. This day couldn't get any worse could it?

"Well, well. Look who found his way home, fellas."

Turning on his heel, Ciel faced the direction of the speaker. Before him stood three thugs—one with shirt black hair and many piercings that were located on any given point on his body, one with short blonde hair that was scraped off his forehead and held back with a black head band, and one that was much more dramatic looking than the other two. While the other two looked like stereotypical delinquents, this young man put a lot more detail into his appearance. His bleached blond hair was spotted with black circles, as if he was mimicking some sort of animal print in his hair. His eyes were lined with heavy black liner, which made him look like stylish and more sleep deprived. He sported a goat-tee, as if to complete his over dramatic and tired look. Instead of looking like an average delinquent, he looked like high school drop out—the kind that joined a gang and such. There had been a documentary about these kids recently. And in the Queen's Journal, there was an article going into detail about how these young men and females were formed. It was young men like him that usually ended up behind bars. But who was that young man? Ciel thought that he resembled a hyena—wild, unkept, and dangerous. And if he was talking about finding Ciel, then that could only mean that he was in the band of thugs that was chasing him earlier. Sighing inwardly, Ciel cursed himself. Damn him. While he was sitting there thinking about how he was being teased, he should have been thinking about what he was going to do when he encountered these thugs.

"Aww, he doesn't look to happy to see us, boss." The black haired delinquent commented. A dark smirk deepened his features.

"He looks incredibly pissed off." The blonde delinquent added, unnecessarily.

The hyena looking fellow smiled. His grin bared his sharpened teeth and threatened to tear at the corners of his mouth. His overly lined eyes narrowed as he took a few steps towards Ciel. "The bunny is just scared of your harsh looking mugs." Ciel snorted at that comment. The one with the worse appearance had the nerve to insult the other two. Ignorance sure was comical. The hyena ignored Ciel's sound of disagreement and continued. "You have to soften your appearance when handling such gentle creatures. If you just show it a scary face, it'll run from you."

"As if I would run from such weaklings." Ciel retorted. Although he was in no position to have such bravado, it was naturally in his character. Why should he show such ignorant and foolish delinquents the thing that they most wanted—to see him in fear. Besides, if he ran, he wouldn't be able to save Lizzie. And that was the whole point of looking for these goons, wasn't it. Although his plan wasn't properly thought out, it didn't change the fact that it was already in action. All he needed now was to get these goons to show him where Lizzie was and get her released. From there, he would handle them until Lizzie found reached Aunt Angelina.

"Ah? Then our little bunny will willingly come to our welcome party."

"Welcome party?"

The hyena let loose a sharp bark of laughter. Holding his sides, he doubled over, gasping for breath only to continue his laughter. The other too delinquents looked at each other and shrugged before following suit. They laughed loudly and from their diaphragm. As Ciel watched them, he felt as if he was watching a horrible comedy scene from an over-rated cartoon. The scene finished with the hyena noticing that his too lackeys was copying him. Irritated, the delinquent stopped laughing and hit the other two. "What the fuck are you laughing at?"

"What were you laughing at, boss?"

"I thought it was maniacal laughter, ya' know? Like, laughing for no apparent reason other than to seem evil." The dark haired delinquent commented. When his two associates looked at him in confusion, he continued. "You know, in comic books, when the evil villain is about to win, He laughs manically. I thought that was what we were doing."

There was Ciel's proof. He was stuck in an over-rated cartoon with the Three Stooges. Sighing to himself, he rubbed his temple with two fingers in a circular motion. What was he going to do with these people? Were they even smart enough to take him to Lizzie? As he watched them squabble, he decided against that.

Lizzie looked around the room. The last thing that she remembered was being taken by the arm and thrown over someone's shoulder. Although she kicked and screamed, it was no avail, in fact it only earned her a swift hit over her head which rendered her unconscious. She wasn't exactly sure where she was or how long she had been knocked out. As she looked around the room, she noticed that there wasn't a window, thus she couldn't tell how much time had actually passed. Where was she? The answer to that question didn't matter for she wasn't acquainted with the school. She could be in the gym room or storage room just a few minutes away from the campus gates. Then again, she could be in an undisclosed location where she'd have no idea how to get home. She had often heard of gangsters doing that—kidnapping their victims and taking them thousands of miles away from home. For all she knew, she could be in China or Japan. And when the leader of the gang came to speak to her, he'd have a horrible English accent and she would barely be able to understand him. His demand would be an extravagant sum of money and even then he would not promise her a safe return.

What if the leader did not want money? What if she was only bait to bring Ciel to him? Why would they want her Ciel? Yes he was smart. And Yes, he was cute. And his coldness only made him more attractive, but he was of no actual use to anyone. Then again, his aunt was one of the most famous doctors in all of England. They could be using Ciel in order to get to Aunt Angelina! That was it! She had figured it out. And poor Ciel had no idea what they were up to. He'd unwittingly come to save her and then they would be at the mercy of these thugs. Aunt Angelina would have no choice but to give these thugs whatever they desired in order to get Ciel and Lizzie back. Oh, what a terrible thing to have happened to Aunt Angelina.

The door to the room opened, and Lizzie inched backwards. What was going to happen now? Would some big bear-like man come into the room and try to have his way with her? Would he promise to let Ciel go if she would willingly give herself to him? She had read a book like that once, and that was exactly what happened. In the end, the girl gave herself to the man and he ended up being a part of the Chinese mafia and he still did not release the girl until it was too late. The girl, the stupid chit she was, ended up falling for the mafia man and giving up her life until the man died. Is that what they expected for Lizzie to do as well? No! She'd do no such thing. Instead, she'd fight them tooth and nail. There would be a moment where she'd be able to escape and then she would rush back home on the first boat to England and be with her beloved Ciel. He would have waited for her to return. He would be the only person who believed that she was still alive, and he would wait for her.

There was the clunk of a heavy boot hitting against the polished floor of the room. Squeezing her eyes closed, Lizzie pushed her hands out in front of her and screamed. Her piercing cry would hopefully make her assailant think twice before forcing himself on her. "AHHHHHH! NO I WON'T GIVE MYSELF TO YOU! I ONLY WANT CIEL! TAKE ME BACK HOME TO ENGLAND. I SHALL NOT EAT WONTONS AND LIVE OFF OF DUMPLINGS!"

"Wontons… dumplings… what are you talking about?" A feminine voice answered her.

Opening her eyes, Lizzie found three teens staring at her. One was a tall blonde gentleman who looked to be the oldest in the bunch. His blond hair was cropped short and his dark brown brows were drawn together in confusion. A lit cigarette hung from the thin line of his mouth. And dark brown goggled hung about his thick neck. He adorned a uniform similar to the one that Ciel wore. The white collar peeked from the beneath of the folded upwards collar of a deep blue blazer. This young man did not wear the black bow or the black tie that Ciel wore with his. Instead he left both the blazer and the white button down shirt unbuttoned, leaving his undershirt completely exposed. All of the shirts drifted over the hem of his gray and blue plaid trousers.

And another of the three teens was a red-haired female with over –sized glasses. Her bangs were trimmed to the point that they laid evenly over the brim of her glasses. Her long read hair was pulled into pony tails that could be seen on either side of her head. Like the young man beside her, she wore her blazer and her button down shirt unbuttoned. Instead of wearing a plaid pleated skirt, as the other girls of Ciel's school wore, she wore cut-off shorts made of the boy's uniform plaid trousers.

The last of the teens wore his uniform properly and his blond hair was held out of his face by black bobby-pins.

Lizzie had to say that she was confused by their presence here. And even more so, she was confused by the fact that their English was so good. No wonder. They were Englishmen. She could tell! But there was Englishmen in China? Oh? Perhaps they were in cahoots with the Chinese mafia. But wasn't it rare for Englishmen to work with the Chinese mafia? She wasn't sure how many Englishmen and women China had to their disposal. In fact, she was preparing to have to speak very slowly with anyone she came into contact with. She should be grateful that they sent someone who could speak with her.

Ciel decided that he would not deal with their idiocy. He'd find Lizzie on his own. They couldn't have gotten far. The only thing he really needed to know was in what direction did they take Lizzie in.

~"AHHHHHH! NO I WON'T GIVE MYSELF TO YOU! I ONLY WANT CIEL! TAKE ME BACK HOME TO ENGLAND. I SHALL NOT EAT WONTONS AND LIVE OFF OF DUMPLINGS!"~

He heard the scream of some female. If the faint sound of Lizzie's voice didn't concern him, the contents of the scream would. It was obviously Lizzie. And from the sound of it, she was nearby. Turning his attention to the direction of the sound, he scanned the area. Where could she be? She was obviously on school grounds. But where?

"Where's your attention, Little bird?"

Ciel clicked his teeth. He had almost forgotten about these thugs in front of him. He would have to get rid of these goons in order to get to Lizzie. If he pointed towards the sky and looked shocked, would they fall for that? Or he could probably pretend that the principal was coming. That could work… if only Druitt didn't announce his presence whenever he entered a room. How was he to get away from these goons?

"You seem deep in thought, Little bird." The Hyena laughed again, making Ciel's teeth grind. Approaching the young man, he wrapped his arms around Ciel's slender waist. "Thinking about me?"

Horrified that this creature had the audacity to touch him, Ciel gasped. "Let go!" Ciel pushed against the thug's chest to no avail.

Once again, the Hyena let loose a sharp barking laugh. "Trying to escape me? Why I was just looking for a bit of fun. Wanted to welcome you to the school, ya' know. But it seems you just don't want me to."

Ciel shot the young thug a cutting glance. "Release me, this instant."

"Sorry, kiddo. No can do. You see, my boss wants to make sure that you get a nice welcome party. And I have plans. You see, firstly, you and I will get real close. Then we'll get intimate in the nicest room on campus. Then my guys over there," He nodded towards the other two young men for emphasis. "they will give you another welcome party, and another, and another until everyone has had a turn. After that, we'll show you to your little girlfriend."

"Lizzie?"

The Hyena smiled. "She's getting a welcome party right now. But I'd be more concerned about myself. Ya' seem to have a headache."

Before Ciel could reply that he was feeling fine, one of the thugs hit him over the head with a heavy object. His eyes crossed for only a moment, because in the next moment, he was passed out.

"Hey hey, that wasn't nice! You might have actually hurt him. We need him alive if we're going to have fun with him." The Hyena laughed once again. "Lets go."

**JUICEBOX: So here is the deal… not even going to lie to you all… I found a boyfriend in the time between the last update and now. And I was going to update before valentine's day, but it really didn't happen. I am so sorry. Words cannot express how sorry I am. And I didn't even get to the smut scene like I wanted to. But I'm out of school in May. And I'll be living right down the street from STARS, so my editor will be right there to make sure that I don't go out and I actually update.**

**STARSBRIGHT: I did my job. Called you once a month and reminded you. So not my fault. **

**JUICEBOX: I know. I know. Once again, I'm sorry. Full out sex scene between Ciel and Sebby next month, in May of 2011. Look for it, if I even have any readers. Once again, I'm sorry.**

**STARSJUICEBOX: Please read and review. Thanks.**


	4. clavem habere potest,

"_Ciel, you have to be very careful." A young Angelina Durless reminded in a stern tone. Kneeling down beside her frightened nephew, she scooped the young child into her arms. "You are such a cute child that everyone wants to eat you up." To emphasize her point, the adoring red head lifted the child's shirt and nibbled his stomach. She was given an infectious giggle as the child squirmed in her arms._

_The bright eyed child attempted to escape his aunt's endless tickling. "Auntie Anne! Stop it!" The child laughed, gasping for breath._

_Smiling down at Ciel, Aunt Angelina ceased her tickling. Putting the child down, she kneeled before him. "Ciel, you have to promise me that you will be a good boy. You have to be careful. Not all adults are good people. Some adults want nothing more than to take you away from home and eat-you-up!" She poked Ciel's stomach whilst she stressed her last three words. "Now, do we want to get eaten up?"_

"_No!" Ciel responded. Shaking his dark locks, Ciel repeated his aunt. "No! Ciel won't get eaten up!"_

"_Are you sure about that?" Aunt Angelina stood up. She propped her hands against her waist as she grinned down at her nephew. "What about me? Can I eat you up?"_

"_No!" Ciel squealed as he rushed away from his playful aunt. "Ciel won't get eaten up!"_

"_Ciel won't get eaten up!"_

* * *

**A Touch from Hell**

_Chapter 4_

* * *

As Ciel's dream faded, he felt a pain from the back of his head. At first the pain was dull, pulling him from his forced slumber. It seemed that he could never wake up and be fully aware of his surroundings. At that moment, the only thing that Ciel was fully aware of was the soft throbbing in the back of his head. Why was he in pain? Had he fallen of the bed and hit his head? Perhaps it was just a headache from allergies. Yes, that had to be it. He just needed to take his medicine. Taking a haggard breath, Ciel forced his heavy eyes open. As he attempted to break free of his dazed state, the pain waged war against his senses. The throbbing grew to a splitting pain that combed against his nerves. It stopped him from taking another breath—not that he wanted to breathe. It seemed that the less he breathed, the less he felt the pain. But it was still there. Waiting for another labored breath, only then would it attack.

"Hey boss, I think he's waking up."

That voice… who was it? He couldn't place a face to that voice. He made the mistake of taking another breath, which lead to another sharp wave of pain. He groaned only to feel more pain. Ah! Was there no relief from this pain?

"I think you were rather rough with him. He seems to be in a lot of pain."

Was it that obvious? Ciel thought he would have to scream before someone realized it. But then again, it didn't matter. His consciousness was slipping, yet he held on to its threads for dear life. He was confused. Where was he? Who were these people? What was going on? He needed the answer to these. Perhaps he would get some help; someone would give him something to ease this pain. "I…hur-"

"Shh, little bunny. We're still preparing your party for you. Why don't you sleep some more…?"

Ciel felt a pressure against his neck. A moment later, his last thread of consciousness slipped through his fingers as he fell into the darkness of slumber.

"Boss, are you sure you should be this rough with the kid?" The blonde haired thug asked. He shifted Ciel's weight on his back. Furrowing his brows, he looked at the unconsciousness child over his shoulder.

The Hyena shot his lackey a cutting glare. "What's with you? Feeling guilty? Then leave, I don't have time for this."

"It's not that I feel guilt. I just think that the boss is going to be upset with damaged goods."

The Hyena sighed. "Ya' act like I can afford sleepy-smelly stuff."

"Sleepy…" one thug started.

"Smelly stuff?" The other thug finished. Both teens looked to their leader with a baffled expression. What was he talking about? What sleepy-smelly stuff? Perhaps he meant… "Chloroform?"

"Yeah that! I can't afford it. The kid can take a bit of pain. Besides, the boss just told me to welcome him to the school. He ain't say nothing about being gentle about it. So keep ya' comments to ya' self. Unless ya' want to be left out of the party."

Both thugs looked at each other. Coming to a mutual understanding, they both replied. "No! Don't leave us out!"

"Then shut the hell up and do what I tell you." The Hyena retorted, barking in laughter.

The blonde thug shifted Ciel's weight once more before following his boss to the party site.

"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice." Angelina Durless whispered gracefully, as she slipped her arm through her acquaintance's arm. Placing her gloved hand on the soft fabric of his shirt, she continued. "I am truly concerned about Ciel's position at this school. He different, thus is the object of scorn. If that is how he is going to be treated, I want him to be removed from the school. Sadly, Ciel just won't listen to reason."

"M-mr. Phantomhive is a very strong-willed individual." Grell Sutcliff retorted, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. His dark colored hair was pulled back into a very graceful, yet out of date, ponytail. A bright red-ribbon held it in place. His odd colored eyes were hidden behind his average and black frames. Even his clothes were just normal and plain. That aspect of him, along with his cowardly and weak demeanor, would convince anyone that he was not the bright and flamboyant creature that was Ciel's British literature teacher. In fact, Grell's alternate persona clashed so heavily with his actual personality, that Grell was convinced that even Ciel wasn't sure who he was. Grell had proof of this when Ciel woke up this morning. He looked through Grell as though he was a piece of glass. Although that action would have aroused Grell, it was not appreciated when coming from just a little boy. In fact, it irritated him ever so slightly.

Had he gotten the brush off, or the cold glance from a certain pale skinned, crimson eyed young man, then Grell wouldn't have minded. But it was coming from some pint sized twerp. Not only was he young—something that was major turn off for Grell—but he was also arrogant. He was useless. And the kid had no sex appeal at all. Grell personally thought that Ciel deserved all the bullying that he was receiving. In fact, he deserved a bit more. The little runt was annoying. Completely unattractive.

But his aunt was another story. Grell glanced at the woman over as he listened to her endless chatter. She was a beauty. Her creamy skin was the perfect canvas—artistically molded and colored—for his favorite color. As if God understood his passion, she was graced with the beautiful scarlet hair and eyes that he had ever seen. That shade of red was so unique that there was no color that crayola could make that truly mimic that color. In fact, the only other time that he had seen that color was when someone bled. Perhaps if he thought about it that way, she wasn't so unique—what with everyone having blood. But she was a rarity. Her beauty, her coloring, even her shapely figure held some of his attention. She was meant to be a vivacious woman that could capture the hearts of any man. She was meant to be garbed in red whilst laughing at the attempts of the foolish men who were vying for her attention.

Yet here she was, in a drab white lab coat. Her beautiful red hair was scrapped back into the same dull ponytail that he wore. Her beauty was unaccented—without a stitch of make-up. Truthfully, the woman that she was at this moment was such a disappointment that he could just rip her open. Perhaps then she could die in the glamorous color. But he wouldn't kill her. No. That would be much too easy, especially with the way that she trusted him. No. He would make her over. He would help her glimmer and shine. Only then could she be worth something. Until then, he would just suffer through her boringness.

"Are you listening, Mr. Sutcliff?"

"Of course, Mrs. Durless. But I was just wondering what type of doctor are you?"

"Oh. I'm a gynecologist. But recently you might as well call me a killer." She jibbed sadly. "It seems as though the rate of abortions have sky-rocketed. Every time I turn around, I am callously killing a child."

"Ah…that must be hard. But it's a career. At least you can provide for your nephew. Or you can remarry and have a few children of your own—enough to make up for the love that those unworthy females couldn't show their own children."

Angelina was quite for a moment. Her normally forced smile was gone as she stared down at the crisp white collar of Grell's shirt. She couldn't do that. She would never be able to remarry. It wasn't that she couldn't love again. Oh no, she was not some weak minded fool who believed that love only came once. It wasn't because she wasn't desirable. She could have any straight man that she wanted. It was because there was no point. Marriage was only an event to ensure the comfortable life style of the child. Why should she remarry when she unable to have children?

No. She couldn't think like that. She had to think on the bright side. She had Ciel. She might not have had children of her own, but she did have her precious nephew. And that was more than good enough for her. Forcing her smile once again, she looked up at Mr. Sutcliff. "That wouldn't be an offer, would it?" She teased, raising an eye brow.

Grell's cheeks tinted with a deep blush as she finished her remark. "Oh no! Ah- not that I wouldn't want to… it's just that-"

"Oh! I'm just joking, Mr. Sutcliff. I have no time for things like that."

Grell sighed. Although he continued flirting with the woman, he couldn't help but be bored. What would it take to turn her into a vivacious woman, covered in scarlet blood. She had mentioned that she was a killer, didn't she? Perhaps that was true in more ways than one. A plan formed itself as Grell continued with his alternate persona. "Ah, right. I'm sorry. I'm worthless. A speck of dust not fit for living. Plankton in the sea are far more intelligent than I. I should kill myself right no-"

"Ah! No need for that! I told you earlier that you don't have to kill yourself over little things."

"…I don't?" He looked at her in confusion. When she smiled at him and nodded, Grell couldn't help but return her smile. "I see. Thank you." They were quiet for a moment, trying to find a way to continue the conversation. It was a few minutes later that Grell found a topic. "Earlier, you mentioned Ciel's safety. I think that he will be perfectly safe. He just needs to make one good friend. If that can happen, then the other kids would leave him alone. Give him more time. I'm sure Ciel can make at least one good friend at our school. Who knows, he might have so many friends that they will throw him a welcome party; welcoming him into the school with open arms."

Ciel felt freezing cold water splash over his bare skin. The uncomfortable shiver that was sent up his spine woke him from his second forced slumber. The dull ache from the back of his head was now gone. Instead of his head, it was his arms and legs that ached. But why were they hurting? He hated this feeling of confusion. There was only one way to answer his curiosity, but he was wary about opening his eyes again. If he attempted to drift out of his dazed state, the pain could return to his head and he would suffer all over again. Was it worth it?

"It seems that you are waking up."

Ciel's eyes popped open at the familiar silky voice. Burning eyes darted in the direction of the voice. As he expected, it was the pale pervert from earlier. He rolled his eyes. He didn't want to deal with him right now; not after waking up. Then again, he didn't want to deal with him at all. Ciel attempted to shift into a more comfortable position only to find that he couldn't move at all. His attention moved from the pervert's ghostly presence to his sore arms. His wrists were bound—tied expertly into tightly wound knots. His wrists were then placed upon a hook that was attached to a basketball net. It was only when he saw his wrist in such a state that he truly realized how much pain he was in. His arms were sore- straining because of the inconsistent use. That pain soon matched the irritation of his legs. Looking down, not only did he find his legs bound in a very revealing way, but he also found that he was starch naked. His delicate frame lead to his now airing slender waist. His legs were spread. Each leg parted so far that his hips ached. Not only were his legs spread, but he was uncomfortably bound. His knees bent, his ankles pressed against his supple thigh. With his legs in such a state, it was impossible to hide his disgrace.

"It seems that they have done a superior job with preparing you."

Ciel had almost forgotten that pervert's presence in the room. What was his name? It started with a S.

_Sebastian…_

The name echoed in his mind as if the pervert was telling him his name once again. But he hadn't. Which meant that Ciel was more aware of him than he wanted to believe. Ciel shook his head. No. That wasn't what was important right now. He needed to know what was going on. Sebastian was the only one he could ask. Then again, why should he ask? Perhaps he had helped those goons bind him like this? Perhaps he was a part of the 'welcome party' that they had mentioned earlier. He wouldn't put it past him, with him binding deals with kisses and what not. Perhaps he was upset that Ciel did not willingly surcome to him earlier. That would explain why he would take part in this humiliating event. Then again, he was a pervert. And perverts did not need a reason to do such things.

"Before you accuse me of doing something so… entertaining, you must realize that I am not a part of this." Sebastian commented as if reading Ciel's thoughts. "Although it does seem interesting, I cannot find pleasure in forcing someone. It's rather pathetic. I much rather have my prey come to me."

Ciel's cheeks burned with guilt as Sebastian defended himself. Although he did think such a thing, he refused to admit that he was wrong. Sebastian was just as much at fault for not stopping them, and or not saving him at this very moment. Cutting the young man a glare, Ciel continued. "I said no such thing! Now, help me down from here."

"Ah, I would like to. But there seems to be a problem with that."

Ciel raised a brow. "And what, pray tell, is the problem?"

A smooth, yet haunting smirk curved the lips of the pale teen. "I do not serve you" He resisted chuckled at the scowl Ciel presented him. Remaining at a distance, Sebastian walked from one side of Ciel to the other, making sure never to look away from Ciel's eyes. "There are numerous things that I could help you accomplish, yet you refuse to make a pact with me-"

"And concede to your lewd fantasy? Ha!" The child scoffed.

"Then I am afraid that you will have to compromise yourself with their 'lewd' fantasies. It seems to be much more of them then there is of me." Sebastian's smirk deepened. Crossing his arms over his sculpted frame, he retreated another foot away from Ciel.

"Your teasing does not scare me-"

"Of course not. Fear is a foreign object to Mr. Ciel Phantomhive." Sebastian exclaimed as he furthered the distance between the teen and himself until he touch the shadows of the room. "It seems that your guest are arriving, meaning that it is time for me to go. If you should require my assistance, then all you need to do is merely call for me."

Ciel snorted tastelessly. "Please hold your breath and wait for me. I assure you that you will collapse before I call for you."

"Then please enjoy your company."

And with that, the young man dissolved into the shadows. Before Ciel could ponder how he accomplished such a feat, the room door crashed open. Ciel's attention darted to the door way. Fear was an alien emotion to Ciel, but he could not feel as though he was to become acquainted the emotion for the first time. There in the door way stood at least thirteen teenage boys. Each one adorned an excited smile as they looked over his body. They licked their lips in a vulgar manner, as if awaiting their first meal in years. And he was the main course.

"Dear company, it seems that you have found our guest of honor." The Hyena announced from the back of the crowd. As though he was sovereign, the crowd parted for the repulsive delinquent. The chilling felon sauntered down his path. "This delectable treat before us is Ciel Phantomhive." The Hyena smirked. His eyes roamed over Ciel's exposed body in a way that made Ciel's blood curdle. "We are to welcome our little bunny to our dear school.-"

"I rather not. Now, let me down this instant."

The Hyena let loose one of his menacing bouts of laughter. "No can do, Bunny. We have a job to do. If I let you go, then how will we have our fun?"

Ciel's scowl darkened. There was no talking to these buffoons. They were only interested in one thing. And that was something that he refused to do. He would not allow these men to violate him. But the question was how could he stop them? Being bound like this, there was physically nothing he could do. Screaming for help would only bring the up most humiliation. Even if he did sacrifice his pride to scream for help, who was there to help him? No one. There had never been anyone that he could ask for help, much less order to save him.

_Sebastian…_

No! He refused. These goons were not informed enough about sex, much less rape. They would not know how to proceed. They would give up and go home. And he would leave with a bit of his pride intact.

"So we're not in China?" Lizzie asked, her golden curls bobbing to the side. She held out her tea cup in a visual declaration that she wanted more. "Then where am I? I was sure that those ruffians would send me to China. Oh! I know! We're in Italy! You're sending to the Italian Mafia. –"

"For the last time, Miss, we are in England!" Bart bellowed. Groaning, he covered his face with his hand. His teeth clenched his unlit cigarette with pent up tension.

"Calm down." Maylene ordered, pinning Bart with an annoyed glance as she filled Lizzie cup with more White Rose tea. "Why don't you go outside for some air?" She ordered, nodding towards the door.

Bard glanced down at his cigarette. Perhaps he did need a smoke; a little breather from all this excitement. Nodding, he stood up. "Alright. I'll be back."

"Don't hurry." Maylene retorted. The door closed behind Bard as he exited the room. Turning her attention to the bubbly preteen, Maylene smiled. "And I'm sorry to disappoint you, Miss, but we are in England. Were you hoping to escape?"

"Hardly!" Lizzie protested, shaking her hair vigilantly. "I just never thought that you all would keep me so close to home. It will be horrible. Being so close to home and never allowed to return."

"Not allowed to return? Whoever said something like that?" Finny asked. The golden haired teen crossed his legs and rocked back and forward. "It would be cruel to not allow you to come home. In fact, I think it's against the law."

Lizzie looked at the three teens in utter confusion. "What do you mean that you'll let me go home? I know all your names. For kidnapping me, I can get you all into a lot of trouble."

Maylene's eyes widened. Kidnapping! Ah! She forgot. How could she forget? Of course it was a crime. It wasn't as if it was a new crime. It was just that she had never thought about it in that way. If they released these kids after this, they would surely go to jail. Especially since Maylene's friend told her that the gang was to rough up the Phantomhive kid. If they didn't get home safely, there would be bobby surround the school before the morning bell rang. What was she to do? She hadn't thought that she would go to jail because of this.

"Kidnapping? I thought we were playing a game. Like 'hide-n-go-seek'. We're just playing in teams." Finny retorted, granting Lizzie one of his bright, childish smiles.

"A game? So then, Ciel is coming to look for me?" Lizzie asked. When none of the three teens responded, she smiled. "Ah! That must be it! We're playing a game. How delightful! Well, then I will not spoil the fun. Let's have a tea party while we wait for Ciel's team to give up."

Maylene sighed. Thank God for Finny. If he wasn't so smart, this event might have been blown out of proportion. He sure was quick with that response. Maylene never would have thought to call this event a game. The mere thought of that made her smile. Perhaps it was a game. A game where the Phantomhive kid could never win. And in the end, her prince would reign victorious.

Maylene giggled to herself as she continued to pour Lizzie's tea, unaware that the tea cup was now over flowing. Lizzie and Finny watched the cup overflow.

"I wonder when she's going to stop…" Lizzie commented.

"I don't think she will…" Finny countered joyfully.

"GAH! He bit me!" a gangster shouted in pain as he drew back from the young man. "The bastard actually bit me!"

"Gag him. We don't need any more injuries." The Hyena ordered impatiently.

Ciel's chest rose and fell rapidly. They were touching him. Their hands roamed his mass with heated touches. Endless unwanted touches. He screamed and bit and wreathed, yet nothing deterred these fools. There were starved, and he was the meal. He could not do it. He could not defeat them. But he would not concede to this fate. No. He would not allow this. He could not allow this! Who were they to tarnish him? They were fools. They were ill-breed gangsters with the lowest of low IQ's. They were… strong… numerous…

And he was alone and growing weaker by the moment. Breathing was becoming a chore. There wasn't much time before his asthma would force him to release his hold on reality. And if that happened, they could openly have their way. No! He refused. There must be something. Someone…

_Sebastian…._

"I found the gag, boss!"

"Then hurry the hell up!"

There was no other choice. "Sebastian…" He whispered. A whisper was all he could manage. His asthma attack was in full swing—hammering against his lungs. Surely, the young man was no longer around. But there was nothing else he could do. He would call. Summon this young man in any way possible. And if whispers were all he could manage, then that was what he would do. As Ciel opened his mouth to call for him again, he heard the voice of the ghostly teen.

"_You know, if you make this pact with me, just this once, you cannot escape."_

"_I…would not summoned you…if I were not willing. I -I won't flee." _Ciel replied.

"_Are you willing to make a contract with me?"_ Sebastian asked from the shadows.

"_Stop Asking… Tedious Questions… Do My Bidding…"_

"_As you wish,"_ The ghostly teen smiled, his white teeth bearing from the distant shadows.

"_My Lord…"_

* * *

**APPLE: …_. I think I know how authors feel now. I want sleep…**

**STARS: HA! I told you. You can do it when you set your mind to it. Apple told me that she would update on the 18****th****. And Look. She did it. I'**

**APPLE: I almost forgot that there is no Lemon on fanfiction. I almost did it. But I couldn't. So I gave you as much information that I could without it crossing into something…rule-breaking… **

**STARS: You mean law-breaking. **

**APPLE: Yeah that. I hope you all enjoy. I really did try to keep up with the deadline. I hope there is enough substance in this chapter. I really need to know if I did well this time or not. If I didn't, I'll try much harder next month.**

**STARSJUICEBOX: An alluring update will be posted in June of 2011. Please Read, Rate, and Review. Enjoy. **


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